Here in Texas, we have Republicans piled higher than the tops of our flash flood gauges. Crazy Republicans are our specialty.

Every once in a while, though, one of them gets a touch of wisdom in his head, popping up like a buttercup in a field of bluebonnets.

Buttercup of the week is DIck Armey, who is introducing amendments to the Homeland Security bill to prevent the establishment of Operation TIPS and nip off a planned national ID card program before it goes to seed.

Not only that, but he also wants to establish a Privacy Officer in the department to help safeguard civil liberties!

Did someone accidentally switch his brain with Lloyd Doggett's?

If that isn't enough, there's also yet another delightful parody of Operation TIPS, this one recruiting people to inform on the informers, and squeezing in a spoof of the "-chalking" phenomenon for good measure. (What's chalking? See Warchalking and Blogchalking)

So join the cause, chalk an informer! And chalk this up as a good day for Dick Armey, Texas Republican with a clue.

Not up to speed on Operation TIPS? Catch up in the archives, here and here.